Last week I told you about how and why we chose to settle in Phoeni, first every winter and then three years later permanently, after eight years of RVing. The winters of the last three years were spent at Viewpoint, a large RV and golf resort in the city. In the third year, at about this time around Christmas, we decided to gift ourselves a change in traveling lifestyle. We bought a small, simple house and sold our RV.
WHAT LED TO OUR DECISION
1.
Completed Goal: North America
By that time,
we had visited seven Mexican states, ten Canadian provinces, and 49 American
states—had also gone to Hawaii although the RV could not take us
there! We realized that we had essentially covered our North American bucket
list, chronicled in my first travel book published in 2015: Carolina:
Cruising to an American Dream.
2. New Goal: The World
Meanwhile, our
travels abroad have mainly been trips back to the Philippines and to my daughters’
homes—they live in three separate countries: the US, Canada, and
Australia. As we toured all the areas
around where they lived, a thirst for the rest of this wonderful world set in. But
going home after each trip had become increasingly difficult. Enduring jet lag,
we still had to haul our RV from storage, drive it back to Viewpoint, and refit
it into the hook-ups. We couldn’t just
turn a key, drop our luggage, and plop into a nice comfy bed.
3. Lasting Friendships
In addition,
even if we met interesting people in the many campgrounds where we had stayed, we often lost contact with them afterward. It’s a not-so-happy consequence of
regularly changing our neighborhoods and one of the cons of the full-time RV
cruising lifestyle. Meanwhile, in Viewpoint, we were adopted by kindred campers.
They included us in their tennis teams, golfing groups, and social events. Four decided to buy homes in the new golf resort phase featuring great-looking,
good-sized brand-new manufactured homes. We followed the lead of our new lifelong
friends.
4. Good Healthcare
It was healthcare
that led us to stay put at a central location every winter for our medical
needs. Fortunately, we found Dr. Rustin Crawford of Cornerstone
Family Medicine who diagnosed my two nascent issues and prescribed half of
the smallest dose of medications for maintenance. They were quickly arrested. He
referred my husband to an excellent cardiologist who fitted him with a
pacemaker and a great dermatologist who is controlling skin cancer issues. We
wanted Rustin to take care of us until the end. His small clinic has grown to
three branches in the East Valley Phoenix Area.
It all made
so much sense. We had to have a permanent home here.
WHAT WE
ENDED UP DOING
1. Buying a House
We chose one
of the model units close to the newest clubhouse complex (photo), giving us thousands
of dollars of upgrades. The 1,200-square-foot
three-bedroom home was more than three times the space we had in the RV. When
we moved three months later, I almost got lost! But the biggest thrill was that
I had a bride’s dream of being carried over the threshold—at the young age of 70—after a never-ending honeymoon. Imagine furnishing and decorating our little
home— with tastes that are cultures apart and attitudes so
stubborn!
2. Selling Out RV
Selling our
RV proved to be a cinch, too. We bought our moving home that took us all over North
America for $40,000. It was an 11-year-old Newmar
Mountain Aire, one of the best brands and models in the market. On the day we
listed it on Craigslist,
it sold before noon! With the $10,000 in hand,
the math meant that our first home had cost us just $312.50 per month over the
previous eight years. It was the best travel investment we could ever have made
because we even found the lifestyle more economical than living in an
apartment. On top of that, we had rental income from our properties, giving us hefty
savings!
WHAT WE GOT WITH THE CHANGE
World Travel
We had
wanted to explore more of the other continents. After the house, we invested the
balance of our savings in timeshares for our new “traveling lifestyle with a
base.” So far, we have made trips to 28 countries, have annual reunions with
both of our families in resort destinations around the US and enjoyed an awesome
all-inclusive winter vacation for three months each year in Mexico.
Resort
Lifestyle
Between
trips, we had a resort lifestyle community in Viewpoint. Amenities include three
clubhouses, two golf courses, an onsite restaurant and pro shop, four heated
swimming pools, five hot tubs, two fitness centers, ten tennis courts, nine
pickle ball courts, a shuffleboard court, a ball field, multi-purpose rooms,
ballrooms, craft rooms, fifty clubs, and weekly dinners, concerts, and dances. The
golf courses are right after the clubhouse near our house. It was a great place
to relax and be with friends.
Visits from
Family and Friends
The pleasant
surprise was that, with more space in our home, lots of resort amenities in
Viewpoint, and Arizona endowed with great landmarks such as the Grand Canyon National Park or
lovely Sedona— many of our favorite people have come to visit and stay with
us for vacations. This has been the additional blessing of owning a home.
Family and friends now have a place to stay to be with us. Consider yourself
invited!
A Covid-19
Sanctuary
And when the
pandemic upended our lives, our home became a great sanctuary for the tiny
bubble I shared with my husband. We have added a 200-square-foot Arizona room
for my writing area and our playroom that converts into a guest room. Yes, that’s
where you’ll stay!
I must admit
that I miss RVing, every time I see one going down a freeway or parked at
Walmart, especially when it became the safest way to travel during COVID-19
days. But not my husband— neither the driving nor the hooking
or unhooking. I guess we can’t have it all; not forever. Anyway, a change always
settles on being good again.
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